Tomatoes for next year

[redser]

I know it's a bit early but with the very poor year we're having it's got me thinking about what I could have done to get tomatoes to eat earlier. I sowed in early February and worked hard to bring them on and havn't reaped the benefits.
I'm going to assume next year will be as bad as this year to avoid disappointment. So I'm thinking I might only grow two early plants next year and plan to stop them early with maybe only 3 trusses to encourage an early crop. And then sow in mid March onwards for the main crop. Does it sound like a good idea?
I know we grow for taste and have favourite varieties but at this stage I would rather just have tomatoes So can anyone recommend a proven early variety? It seems from reading around that cherries and tumblers tend to crop earlier??
Thanks a lot

[Farmer_Gyles]

there are varieties that can be sown in january ... i have numerous varieties .... i'll be sowing from january onwards, and i now have a greenhouse heater so things should work a bit better next year ...

i'll definitely look for a blight resistant variety too .... very important seeing as i now have 59 toms with blight and only one that doesn't .... and not had a single tomato yet ...

[VirginVegGrower]

All I know is that in any form of horticulture, you can never assume anything. You just have to wait and see what the seasons throw at you. Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some. Your timing sounds right to me for next year

[redser]

Thanks. I guess what I was getting at, are there any tricks to help you beat bad weather. For example, grow an early variety and nip out the top early. Commercial growers round here have been producing for ages. There must be something the amateur can do to even the odds. Or maybe not

[alldigging]

Bob flowerdew says to grow one plant (of each type) and grow the rest you want from taking cuttings of sideshoots.

[GardenNinja]

I grow my tomatoes in containers and have been getting ripe tomatoes (on and off) for over a month now. Although this may due to other variables, I think a major factor is that soil temperature in containers is warmer than ground temperature, especially during early summer. Have you tried Sungold? I sowed it in early March and got my first ripe tom mid June (its date to maturity is listed between 57-65 days). Some 'tricks' I've seen people do is lining tin foil around the base of the plant to reflect light & heat onto it.

[kathyd]

I sowed various types in Feb in a heated propogator, and they remained about 1cm tall for weeks. Months in fact. So I sowed some more later and they did much better! I perservered even with the really titchy ones and planted them in the polytunnel, and they finally took off and now there's no holding them back. I've not bothered pinching anything out, having read another thread on here about leaving them to grow naturally, and they've got lots of flowers but still only a few small green fruits. The ones that have done best are Gardener's Delight, which I'll definitely grow again next year. The 'extra early' varieties did nothing and got chucked. Some later-planted Outdoor Girl did quite well, and I gave some to my friend and planted 4 in the garden. My 4 got blight and had to be dumped, but her 6 went into a blow away and are apparently doing fine. There's not much consistency this year is there? Which makes it hard to predict what to do for next year of course... I was going to plant mine a bit later next time, and try to find a way of transplanting them somewhere warmer eg using heated soil cables once they come out of the propogator, since my March sown plants seemed generally happier than the Feb ones. But maybe you're right, and we just plant some of everything again to cover all bases!

[VirginVegGrower]

Thanks. I guess what I was getting at, are there any tricks to help you beat bad weather. For example, grow an early variety and nip out the top early. Commercial growers round here have been producing for ages. There must be something the amateur can do to even the odds. Or maybe not

Grow under cover?

[Thelma Sanders]

I grew a couple of Gartenperle in pots from a Jan sowing.

Inside until weather was improving and then out during the day and in at night until end of April.
A real faff but I've been eating toms for about a month.
It even looks as if they might start to slow up a bit before the others start ripening

They may not be the best tasting tomatoes, but I will deffo do the same next year - cos they're better than Trashco's

[redser]

Thanks for replies. I grew them under lights for six weeks then moved them in/outside depending on weather to a blowaway and then finally moved them to the tunnel. It's the weather that has held them back. In a reasonable year I reckon I would have had fruit in June. So I think next year I'll grow a couple and stop them early to ensure early ripening, the rest I'll grow on to 6 trusses.

[Sarico]

I grew a couple of Gartenperle in pots from a Jan sowing.

Inside until weather was improving and then out during the day and in at night until end of April.
A real faff but I've been eating toms for about a month.
It even looks as if they might start to slow up a bit before the others start ripening

They may not be the best tasting tomatoes, but I will deffo do the same next year - cos they're better than Trashco's

Really!!! My garden perle are the worst I have In my garden. Plant at the same time one is 3ft tall one 2ft and the other 1ft tall and kind hanging of the side. Plus the 3ft tall have one reddish small tomato but also some big one still green. They were on the same packet so or they aren't garden pearl or some freakin stuff happen to them. My favourite is tumbler. Already had about 15 tomato fro my first plant sown in march

[binley100]

Try overwintering one........take a cutting, root it and grow on. It'll get leggy but you could then root the armpits ......

[redser]

Great ide and something to do over the cold dark months

[Normans Mum]

I started some Moneymaker off in early March. They have absolutely LOADS of tomatoes on them ! Whether or not they will all ripen is another matter because the sun has decided to go off on holiday somewhere else. AGAIN.